The Marriage Curse
by Nox Rosa Aeterna
Summary: Written for the HPFC The Marriage Curse Challenge. Set in Fifth Year. When a curse falls everyone in Hogwarts at the time must now marry three other people. Chaos ensues. New alliances are formed and old allegiances are changed. The Ministry is baffled. Voldemort is upset. [Complicated group marriage situations. Rated T at the moment. Rating subject to change.]
1. Unexpected Developments

**Posting Date and Time: 05/01/2014 at 13:04 UTC/GMT/Zulu.**

**AN: My entry for the HPFC The Marriage Curse challenge. You can find the link to it on my Profile page.**

**The title is a working title taken from the challenge name. If you can think of another one I'll consider it. Chapters will be posted once a month on the 5th or 6th unless I manage to get more of the story written and edited faster. Please note that this is unlikely as I am working on other projects at the same time. (If you get an update alert and there isn't a new chapter then it's because I discovered a mistake I didn't notice before posting and fixed it.)**

**If anyone wants to beta read for me that would be brilliant. :)**

* * *

The Marriage Curse

Unexpected Developments

It was an ordinary day at Hogwarts or so everyone thought. Severus Snape was overseeing a class of fifth year Gryffindor and Slytherins which contained one Harry Potter and accomplices.

He was keeping a close eye on them all when he heard something hit the floor. He looked over to find that Draco Malfoy had keeled over in a dead faint. He hastily waved his wand and put out the lit fires under the students cauldrons.

They would simply have to redo their potion if they had got as far as putting their bases in their cauldrons. He needed to assess what was wrong with his young snake and he couldn't do that if cauldrons were melting because students had turned to see what was going on.

He had just reached Draco when someone else hit the deck. He looked over to see the brains of Potter's troublesome trio, Hermione Granger, on the floor. As he froze in surprise Potter also seemed to fold up and dropped off his stool falling on top of her. Lavender Brown and her friend Parvarti Patil followed and then Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson.

Whatever this was it did not seem to be a student prank as it appeared to be indiscriminate between house and gender. He checked Draco over and found that he was deeply unconscious; almost in a coma state. So were the other students when he checked on them. He couldn't revive them with the usual "_Enervate_" or any other spells he knew.

"Weasley." He barked.

Ron Weasley nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Go and fetch Madame Pomfrey. Now." He ordered him.

The red head ran off to the infirmary. As he did Neville Longbottom collapsed. Severus Snape felt like groaning in despair. He had never seen anything like this before.

* * *

Madame Pomfrey was not in the Hospital Wing and Ron sat down on a bed nonplussed. What did he do now? He decided to wait. There was no point running all over the castle looking for her. He could very easily miss her and not realise. He fidgeted as he waited; picking at his nails.

Madame Pomfrey came in five minutes later accompanied by a worried looking McGonagall with two stretchers floating between them. On them were his twin brothers. There were other stretchers behind those but Ron didn't care.

His brothers were unconscious and looked as though they could have been hurt.

"What happened?" He demanded of Professor McGonagall.

She frowned. "They seemed to pass out Mr. Weasley." She informed him.

"I could not revive them so I sent a message to Madame Pomfrey. They are not the only ones." She added gesturing to the line of stretchers floating behind them.

Ron remembered why he had come in the first place. "The same thing happened in my potions lesson. Sna-" He caught McGonagall's eye. "Professor Snape sent me to get Madame Pomfrey." He said.

Madame Pomfrey returned with him to the dungeon classroom.

* * *

When they got back to the dungeons they found that most of the class was unconscious.

Ron went to check on Harry and Hermione. Harry and Hermione looked as though they were asleep. The desks had been banished to the back of the room and the unconscious students had been laid out straight in rows. It looked extremely creepy. He shuddered. There were an even number of Gryffindors and Slytherins laid out as far as he could see.

Madame Pomfrey compared notes with Snape and confirmed that the same thing had been happening all over the school. There were eighty students in exactly the same condition.

Ron felt his jaw drop when she said that and heard Snape make a sort of hissing noise of surprise before he told the students that class was cancelled and they should go back to their common rooms.

Ron left with the remaining students. None of them were talking. It had been too frightening and too reminiscent of second year. Harry, Hermione and Neville were the people he would normally have talked to but they were unconscious. So were Seamus and Dean. If the Professors and Madame Pomfrey didn't find out what had happened and how to reverse it soon he would be sleeping in an empty dorm tonight.

He shivered at the thought. He slept alone at home unless Harry was there and that was fine but he had become used to his room mates at Hogwarts. It would be weird and creepy to sleep in his dorm with no one there.

Potions was the last lesson of the day fortunately. He didn't think he'd be able to concentrate on anything else right now. He couldn't talk to his brothers because all of them were either in the hospital wing or not here.

* * *

Ginny flung herself at him the moment he stepped through the portrait hole. She was crying. He caught her and hugged her a little awkwardly. Crying females made him extremely uncomfortable.

"Ron do you know about the twins?" She asked when she could catch her breath.

"Yeah. I was there when they were brought into the hospital wing." Ron said glumly.

"I was in Charms when it started happening. It's so horrible. I've already owled Mum and Dad. Do you think they'll take us out of Hogwarts?" Ginny said.

"I dunno. I hope not." Ron said.

He handed Ginny his handkerchief. It was mostly clean. It had an inkblot on one corner but that was it. She accepted it with a watery smile.

"All the girls from my dorm room are unconscious." Ginny said. "Do you think we could sleep on the sofas here together tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"Yeah sure. I'll grab my blankets." Ron said relieved that she had asked and he hadn't had to say anything.

* * *

A lot of Gryffindor house came to the same conclusion. When Ron came back down from his dorm with his blankets he found some of the older muggleborns had brought their blankets and sheets down and transfigured them into sleeping bags. They were doing the same for some of those who didn't know how or didn't know what sleeping bags were and wanted to sleep in the common room too.

Out of the usual roughly eighty people in Gryffindor about twenty had suddenly collapsed and were now in the hospital wing. Nobody knew the exact number.

They had all been sitting in the common room, or fighting over sofas and floor space for their sleeping bags and pillows, for a while when McGonagall and Dumbledore came in.

"Good evening Gryffindor." Dumbledore said and the room fell silent.

"Now I am sure that you are all very worried about your housemates so let me reassure you all that they are fine. We will find out what happened to them and have them back on their feet in no time. We've sent letters to your parents to inform them of the situation and let them know we have it under control." He smiled at them all and Ron felt slightly reassured.

"I have heard rumours that students think it had something to do with Voldemort. Let me reassure you all that this is not the case." He said.

"Voldemort isn't back. Barmy old codger." someone said.

There was a thump as someone else elbowed them. "Oof!"

Dumbledore appeared not to have noticed the remark or the retaliation. McGonagall narrowed her eyes at someone Ron couldn't see but let it pass.

"Dinner will be served in House Common rooms tonight. Please ask Professor McGonagall for updates." He said.

He waved his wand and two tables full of food and drink appeared at the edges of the common room. So did several more sleeping bags. He smiled and left the room.

"Right. If I may have your attention please." Professor McGonagall said.

The Gryffindors turned their attention away from the food and to their head of house.

"As the Headmaster said everything is going to be fine. However as there so many students missing classes are cancelled for the next two days. That is not an excuse to fall behind on your homework. anyone who does will still get detention." She glanced around the common room. "Please don't stay up too late." She said and left.

Ron got himself and Ginny some food while she bagged them sleeping bags next to each other.

Ginny had stopped crying but it was clear she still worried. They didn't speak much but it was not an uncomfortable silence. He knew she understood and she knew he did and the familiarity of each others presence was what they needed more than anything else right now.

Some of the Gryffindors played games or read books but the games were were half-hearted and subdued and the sound of the pages of various books turned was far slower than usual. First Voldemort and Umbridge and now this incident which felt all too like the petrifyings in second year. They Dumbledore had said that this was not the work of Voldemort but Ron didn't see what else it could be.

At that moment there was a morose meow. Ron looked up to find Crookshanks sitting near them. He had obviously realised that something was wrong. He stroked the orange fluff ball. Crookshanks meowed again and looked at him as though he was hiding Hermione in his pocket. He sighed.

Crookshanks got up and stalked over to Ginny. She stroked his back and said. "She isn't here Crooks. She's in the hospital wing."

Crookshanks turned around and stalked away as though he had understood. That was impossible of course. Cats, even cats like him, weren't that smart. He sat down in front of the portrait hole and meowed until someone took pity on him and let him out.

* * *

Severus Snape was working with Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing on trying to find out what had caused the student's state when something outside set up a horrible wailing.

Suspecting Peeves he stalked to the door and flung it open wand out to confront the pest. Peeves was nowhere to be seen. Instead an orange ball of fluff streaked past him and into the ward. The fluff ball jumped onto the nearest bed and then started jumping from bed to bed. He moved to catch it.

It moved too fast and finally stopped at the twelfth bed. It sniffed at the occupant and then licked the hand that lay on the cover and gave a plaintive meow. When that received no response the cat grabbed the girl's hand in his mouth and gave a tug at her arm. Then it bit her hand drawing blood. Finally it sprang onto her chest and yowled. Then it flopped down on her chest and put it's head on it's paws.

Severus hadn't remembered that Granger had a cat until he saw it again, this was the blasted pest that had defended Black, but he decided not to remove the dratted thing as long as it didn't make too much noise. It wasn't worth getting mauled. The creature was ignoring him so he'd let it be. Cats were infinitely better company than people anyway. He healed the bite on Granger's hand and reached out and scratched the cat's ears to get it's attention. It twisted it's head around and blinked at him.

"You can stay as long as you don't disturb us." He said to the outrageously fluffy feline.

Like mistress, like cat, he thought with a smirk, before going back to Madame Pomfrey's office. He left the hospital wing's doors, by her office, open just enough for a cat to slip through should the animal want to go outside again.

He didn't see Minerva McGonagall slip through the door in animagus form some time later. She considered carefully and then chose one of the Weasley twins beds. Albus had told her to get some sleep but she was too worried about her students. At least his way she would be nearby if anything happened and if anything was going to happen it would probably happen to one of these two. The pair were such trouble magnets that she was surprised Molly Weasley's hair was still red. It should have gone white years ago.

She jumped up onto the end of the bed. Fred's she thought; although she couldn't be entirely sure. She turned in a circle kneading the covers with her paws and then curled up and went to sleep next to Fred's feet.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore found her there a while later when he was leaving to go to bed himself.

"Oh Tabby. What am I going to do with you?" He wondered.

He considered moving her and then decided against it. She would be angry if he did. Maybe angry enough to decide to sleep in her staff quarters, probably for a while. He would miss his wife tonight but one night without her was better than the unknown number of nights he would spend without her otherwise.

He ruffled her ears before he left. She didn't stir. His animagus form wouldn't fit on an already occupied bed, so he couldn't change and sleep next to her, even though he would have liked to. A griffin in the middle of the floor, in a mostly dark ward, would be a serious trip hazard.

He walked slowly up the stairs to his office and through to their quarters. He got ready for bed. Once there he spent nearly an hour trying to sleep but was unable to. He missed Minerva's presence next to him and he was more worried about the students than he had told anyone.

Eventually he gave up on trying to sleep and returned to the hospital wing. He cast a shrinking charm on himself and changed into his animagus form. He would just have to hope he could wake up before someone noticed the miniature griffin, sleeping next to a tabby cat, at the foot of a student's bed.

* * *

**Please review. Constructive crit is very welcome. Flames will be ignored. If you can't make a criticism nicely then don't make it at all.  
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	2. Revelations

**Posting Date and Time: 24/01/14 at 00:34 UTC/GMT/Zulu.**

**AN: Thank you to tonixx, Phoniex Fire Pixie, MoonlightPr1ncess and Carolyn12 for your reviews. Thank you to all those who have favourited and/or followed this story. I got a bit ahead of schedule so I thought I'd post this now. The next chapter should be up in a month or so. Enjoy.  
**

* * *

The Marriage Curse

Revelations

Poppy found them the next morning. She woke Albus up, waited till he descended to the floor, and cancelled the shrinking charm. He shifted back to his human form. Then she insisted that he and Minerva went and freshened up and got some breakfast.

Minerva wouldn't wake so Albus picked her up intending to carry her back to their chambers and let her sleep there. He would write a note telling her that Poppy had kicked them out and let Poppy face her wrath when she woke up. It wasn't exactly a Gryffindor thing to do but he would rather face Grindleward again than get between his angry wife and her lion cubs.

She woke up as he walked through the corridors and her claws suddenly dug uncomfortably and warningly into his arms. She hadn't broken his skin though. Yet. He winced.

"Poppy kicked us out to get freshened up and eat breakfast." He explained.

Tabby sprang out of his arms and shifted as she did into the familiar form of his wife. Her long black hair was loose but that did nothing to stop her from looking ferocious. He flinched as she narrowed her eyes at him but she decided he must be telling the truth. She shifted back into Tabby and ran ahead, bounding off down the corridor, towards their rooms. Albus opened the nearest window and turned into his animagus form. He reached their room first.

He took his time organising his clothing for the day and laying out some clothes for Minerva too. She left him to it and showered first. He tried to organise his thoughts while she did. When she put her hand on his shoulder he started.

"It'll be okay Albus." She said.

"I hope so. I've never seen anything like this." He said.

Minerva sighed.

"We'll fix this. Now go and shower." She commanded.

Albus picked up his clothes and went and did as he was told. He had to believe they would find the answer and everything would be alright.

* * *

They hadn't found a solution by lunch time. The students were unusually subdued and quiet. Then as Albus looked out over the hall students started falling unconscious. He was beginning to stand when his vision began to dim and he felt himself fall back into his chair before he lost consciousness.

Minerva cried out as her husband suddenly slumped in his chair.

"Albus!" Her alarmed cry got her several looks.

Then she was out of her chair but before she could reach Albus she felt dizzy. She sat back down and found that she really would be more comfortable resting her head on her arms. She was unconscious before her plate clattered on the floor.

There was panic and pandemonium for a few seconds and then all was quiet as the rest of the human inhabitants of Hogwarts fell unconscious.

* * *

Hermione Granger opened her eyes and found herself in the hospital wing with Crookshanks on her chest. Why? Then she remembered everything suddenly going black during Potions. She sat up. Crookshanks hissed as he was dislodged.

"Sorry Crooks." She said.

She reached out to him but he hissed and shot off her lap and under the bed.

There were a lot of people in the wing with her. She looked around and saw students everywhere. She felt fine so she slid out of bed. She frowned as she realised she was fully dressed. As she walked into the middle of the ward she saw Madame Pomfrey lying face down on the floor. She was unconscious. Hermione couldn't wake her.

"Crap!" Harry's voice said by her elbow.

"I can't wake her. Help me get her onto my bed." Hermione said. She rolled Madame Pomfrey over.

Together they picked her up.

Harry yelped. "OW!"

He dropped Madame Pomfrey's legs.

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

"She zapped me. Static electricity. On steroids." Harry said shaking his hands.

"Let's get her onto the bed. We'll levitate her." Hermione said and she set the matron down. "On three."

"One, two, three." Hermione counted. "_Wingardium Leviosa_." She and Harry said together.

They levitated Madame Pomfrey onto the bed Hermione had just vacated.

Hermione put her hand on Harry's arm and they both yelped as a shock went through them both.

"Ow! What the hell?" Hermione asked.

"No idea." Harry said.

"We should look for others."

Hermione looked down the aisle between the beds and saw a pair of black boots and long black clad legs sticking out beside a bed. Professor Snape she presumed.

She went over to investigate and found him lying on the floor between a bed occupied by Luna and an empty bed. She levitated him onto it. Then she checked his pulse. It was there but his skin zapped her too. She flinched and yelped.

"Found Malfoy senior and Mrs Malfoy." Harry called down the ward.

Hermione looked up.

Harry beckoned her over to the bed where Draco Malfoy was just stirring.

"So they do care about their spawn. Touching." Hermione said snidely.

Harry snorted with laughter.

Narcissa was sitting in the visitor's chair slumped over the bed. Lucius had not been so lucky. He had slid off the chair into an extremely undignified heap. The sight of the normally dignified and impeccable man lying on the floor with his butt in the air made Harry and Hermione crack up.

"We should rearrange them." Hermione finally managed to get out through her giggles.

"Let me grab Colin's camera first!" Harry sniggered and pointed to the bed where Colin lay halfway down the ward.

Hermione cracked up as Harry stole the camera and took a picture of the three Malfoys. He returned the camera to Colin's bedside and rejoined Hermione.

The two found themselves cackling like a pair of hyenas, unable to stop laughing, for the next few minutes.

Hermione managed to sober up first. "We can't leave them like that. Even though it is funny."

"Right." Harry answered when he had himself under control once more.

They levitated the Malfoy's to an empty bed and laid them side by side since there weren't any free beds left. Just as she thought that Hermione saw the hospital wing stretch and twenty more bed appeared either end and both sides of the room.

Harry used his wand to move Lucius Malfoy to lie flat. Hermione reached for his pulse and then hesitated. What if his skin zapped her?

"It could have been an isolated incident." Harry said.

"No. Professor Snape zapped me too. We've got to know if they're alive though." Hermione said.

"Rather you than me. I'm not touching either of Malfoy's parents." Harry said with a shudder.

Hermione touched Lucius' neck.

"Ow! Alive!" She confirmed.

Then she touched Narcissa's neck. "Alive and no zap."

* * *

They turned at the sound of Draco Malfoy's voice.

"Weaselette?"

He was bending down between two beds. Beds containing Fred and George.

"YOWCH!" Malfoy shrieked a second later.

Harry and Hermione hurried over to Malfoy.

"Her skin bit me!" Malfoy said.

"Yeah we've experienced that." Hermione said. "Don't touch anyone."

"Could have said that earlier." Malfoy grumbled.

"We didn't know you were going to touch her you muppet." Harry snapped. "Your parents are unconscious over there." He pointed.

Malfoy shot him a glare and hurried away.

Hermione raised her wand ready to levitate Ginny to one of the new beds. Harry grabbed her arm.

"We'll bash her head against something if we levitate her from here." Harry said.

"What do you suggest we do then?" Hermione asked.

"I'll pull her out then you can levitate her." He said.

He steeled himself and sighed. "Ouch time."

Then he grabbed Ginny's ankles and yanked her out from between the beds with a yelp.

"Well now she's out I can levitate her." Hermione said.

They spent the next twenty minutes levitating people to beds. Students were stirring in their sleep now and Fred and George woke up but most people looked almost dead. It was creepy. They warned the twins not to touch anyone explaining about the shocks.

Fred and George looked intrigued and immediately grabbed each other's hands. Then they looked disappointed.

"No 'Zap' Hermione." Fred said.

Hermione poked his cheek. She didn't get zapped. Harry poked George. No zap.

"Huh. Weird." Hermione said.

"You've gone bonkers." The twins said in unison.

Then they spotted Angelina Johnson lying opposite them and bounded over to her bed.

"Oi wake up." George said and prodded her. "YOW!"

He stared at his finger in disbelief. "She zapped me!"

"We told you so." Harry said and stuck his tongue out.

Fred yelped a minute later and Harry rolled his eyes at them.

* * *

"'Mione where do you think the rest of the staff are?" Harry asked.

"Ouch!" Malfoy yipped. "I can't wake the Greengrasses." He said.

"What is going on?" He demanded.

"We've no idea so join the club." Harry snapped at him.

"We can't wake anyone either. These two and you woke up on your own so I assume everyone else will wake up too." Hermione said.

"Now we're going to see where everyone else is. You stay here and make sure no one else touches anyone." She ordered. "Come on Harry."

"Yes Ma'am." Harry said earning himself a smack on the arm.

It stung slightly but no zap. He followed Hermione.

* * *

They found some people unconscious in the corridors but very few of them. Most people were in the great hall. They were all unconscious. Some people had traces of food on their faces and that made Harry snort with laughter.

"Harry this isn't funny." Hermione said.

She pointed up at the staff table. The rest of the staff minus Trelawney and Hagrid were there and all were asleep.

* * *

Harry spotted movement by the Ravenclaw table. He walked closer and then bent down to look under it. He saw an elf wearing a tea cosy there.

"Dobby?" He asked.

Dobby came out from under the Ravenclaw table holding a goblet. He put it on the table.

"Harry Potter sir." He said. "You is awake!"

"Yeah I'm awake. Listen do you know what happened?"

"Yes. Harry Potter sir. There was a bad spell. Lots of students went to sleep three days ago and not be waking. Then two days ago at lunch everyone else went to sleep and not wake." Dobby said.

"Well people are waking up now. Wait bad spell?" Harry said.

Hermione joined them. "A bad spell Dobby?"

"Yes Miss Hermione a very bad spell. Witches and wizards be marrying and having little witches and wizards or be losing their magics." Dobby said.

He cocked his head at them. "You be marrying Harry Potter sir. He good wizard."

Hermione gaped at the elf. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Dobby sees betrothal bond." Dobby said confused.

"What do you mean betrothal bond? And you can see magic?" Harry asked.

"Of course Dobby can see magic. Dobby sees betrothal bond." Dobby sounded indignant.

"We can't see magic." Hermione said.

"You is not seeing magic?" Dobby sounded puzzled. "You is joking with Dobby."

"No she's not." Harry said.

Dobby looked amazed. "Then you is not knowing you is betrothed to three you touch."

Harry felt his stomach drop. "What do you mean?"

"Bad spell is making witches and wizards betrothed to three they touch." Dobby said.

"So I'm betrothed to the first three wizard's I touched after I woke up and Harry to the first three witches?" Hermione asked.

"Yes Miss." Dobby said a bit uncomfortably.

Hermione sat down on the Ravenclaw bench and put her face in her hands.

Dobby looked suddenly nervous.

"Dobby must go he is needed elsewhere." He disappeared with a crack.

"What's wrong 'Mione?" Harry asked.

"I didn't know." Hermione moaned. "I touched Snape and Malfoy."

She heard Harry sit down suddenly beside her. "I touched Pomfrey and you and Ginny." He said.

"So now I'm engaged to the three of you?" He asked.

"Betrothed. Magically betrothed. That's worse. No way out." Hermione said.

Then she covered her mouth and looked up.

"Sorry Harry. I didn't mean- I meant. Well I'm sure lots of witches would love to marry you but-"

"It's alright." Harry interrupted. "I know. You're like a sister to me and Pomfrey, well." He paused and swallowed.

"It could be worse." Hermione said. "You could have touched Malfoy's mum."

Harry shuddered and they both laughed.

"We've got to warn the others." He said.

Hermione shot to her feet with a gasp. They set off at a run back to the hospital wing.

* * *

**Cliffie. *Evil grin* please review. Constructive crit is very welcome. Flames will be ignored. If you can't make a criticism nicely then don't make it at all.**


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